Today in Chickamauga History - December 16
1792, December 16: Running Boundary Lines in Cherokee Country - Governor Blount explains the implications of running the boundary lines established by the Treaty of Holston, especially those through the Nine-mile settlement which have been disputed by the Cherokees.
notable phrase - I have conceived that it will be satisfactory and acceptable to Government to be made fully acuainted of the geography of [Nine-mile] from actual measurement and of the operation of the [boundary] line on the Nine-mile settlers and especially so as a part of the [Cherokee] nation had declared war against the United States to the end that a better judgement might be formed as to the propriety or impropriety of their conduct. - http://wardepartmentpapers.org/s/home/item/43971
1825, December 16: ARKANSAS TERRITORIAL PAPERS VOL XX – Page 167 - THOMAS L. McKENNEY TO GEORGE GRAHAM - [NA:OIA, Lets. Sent, Bk. 21 -
DEPARTMENT OF WAR, Off: Indian Affairs, 16" December 1826.
TO GEORGEG RAHAME,s q' Commissioner of the Genl Land Office.
SIR, I have the honor, by direction of the Secretary of War to request the favor of you to date whether the Western boundary of the Cherokees, in Arkansas, places Lovely's purchase, so call'd, on the East, or West of said boundary: or if it runs through it, how much lies on the East and how much on the West of said boundary. Lovely's purchase, lies on the Arkansas, and it is believed, between Frog Bayou, and grand river.
An immediate answer if you please is requested; the subject being now before the Secretary.
I have the honor &c.
THO:L . MOKENNEY
1826, December 16: ARKANSAS TERRITORIAL PAPERS VOL XX – Page 330 – 333 - EDWARD W. DuVAL TO THE SECRETARY OF WAR – [NA:OIA, Lets. Recd. (Cherokees W.):LSJ
Cherokee Agency, CRAWFORD CY A. T. December 16 th 1826 ..
SIR, At the request of the chiefs of the cherokee Nation, I transmit to you the enclosed letter from them to me, relative to the settlement of "Lovely's purchase," by white people. It was, as you will perceive, addressed to me several months since, and would then have been sent to you, but that I was, for two months after I received it, disabled, by severe sickness, from attending to public business. On my recovery it did not appear to me to be necessary to lay it before you, inasmuch as the rumor upon which it had beeri predicated and by which their uneasiness was produced no longer had credence with them.
The talks delivered to them by the late President of the U. States and Secretary of War, to which they have referred, can, no doubt, be found on the Records or files of the Department. I nevertheless enclose herewith a cop; of the former 2 and an extract from the latter,3 and would beg leave to remark that the promises they contain relative to the right of the cherokees to an outlet to the west and to the keeping of what is termed "Lovely's purchase" unsettled by the whites, have been considered by the nation equally as obligatory on the Government as if a fulfilment of them had been secured by a special Treaty.
The recent revocation of the order which prohibited the settlement of that purchase and the rapidity with which it is actually settling, has, therefore, produced very great concern & uneasiness, and as I am entirely uninformed as to the circumstances under which it was done, and likewise of the wishes & intentions of the Government on the subject, I am not a little at a loss for means to allay the excitement and satisfy enquiries.-! shall feel much obliged by such instructions as you may think it proper and necessary to give me in relation to it.-
With great respect, I have the honor to be, Sir, Yr: Ob: Sert
E: W: DUVAL
THE HON: JAMES BARBOUR, SecY of War.
[Addressed] The Hone Jas Barbour, SecY of War, Washington City.
[Endorsed] Dec' 16. 1826-Letter from the agent Maj' Du Vale inclosing the Memorial of the Cherokees, & the extracts of President Monrue & Mr Calhoun's letters &c Relative to the settlement of Lovelys purchase
[Enclosure:DS]
Memorial from the Arkansas Cherokees to Edward W. Du Val
In Council. CHEROKEE NATION. July 24 th 1826-
OUR FRIEND. We are much disturbed in mind by what we are told is in the newspapers.-It is said that the man who is sent to Congress by the White People of Arkansa has written to them and said that the President has ordered a Large part of Lovelys purchase to be surveyed
and Sold, and that it will, very soon, be settled by the Whites. This makes us very uneasy.-We think there must be some mistake about it. We can not think that the present President would give such an order if he knew and were to think of what other Presidents have said to us. Nor do we think that the present Secretary of War, who we are told is a friend to red people, would advise such an order if he were to look at the words and promises of the Secretary, who was in
office four or five years ago. Between eight and nine years ago when Our Great Father was persuading our people to come here he talked to us in these words. "I have not yet obtained the lands lying up the Arkansaw River, to the West of your Settlement. I will give instructions to Governor Clark to hold a Treaty, with the Quapaws this Summer in order to purchase them, and when purchased, I will direct them to be laid off for you. It is my wish that you should have
no limits to the west, So that you may have good Mill Seats, plenty of Game and not be sun·ounded by the white people."-He said to us. "I will not forget my red Children because they are far off. I will remember you. It is my wish to make you prosperous and happy in your new homes; and if you will at any time make known to me your wishes I will attend to them. Now we ask you, our friend, to make known our wishes to our Great Father and tell him we do not wish Lovely's purchase to be settled by white people: That we never Supposed it would be: that
we believed The Talk given to us by our Great Father. He told us he would not forget us and we hope his talk will not be forgotten
The late Secretary of War told us in a talk given to us four or give years ago, last October, that white people should not be permitted to settle on Loverlys purchase: That is should be kept as an Outlet for us, according to promise. He told us that although we Should acquire no right to soil in it. We were and always have been satisfied wit this, but should be very unhappy were we to be “surrounded by White people” as we should be were the Government all it to be settled. We think we should have just cause to say that the promises or our Great Father and the Secretary had been broken – We hope we shall never have cause to say so.
The Lands Ceded to the Government have not all been surveyed. When they are, should it turn out, as we think it will, that we have not yet got as many acres as we are entitled to, where shall we get them if Lovelys purchase, of which we at present have part, shall have been sold to and settled by Whites? It may be said that the Government Could pay us for it; but we do not wish to sell any of our Land. We have but little and were promised it should be given to us here, and if we do not get it all, then our Treaty as well as the promises of our Great Father and Secretary would be broken. – We can not believe these things will happen, but when we hear from men that are sent to Congress that they will, it makes us very unhappy. We again ask you, our friend, to make known our wishes to our Great Father –
Signed by
John Jolly John Loony
Black Fox Too-Tsn-Wus
Tho Graves Spring Frog
Walter Webber Ta-Ha-Tuh
Young Glass Tho Maw
[Endoresed] Memorial of the Cherokees remonstrating against the settlement of Lovelys purchase.
[Enclosure]
The President to the Arkansas Cherokees
(Copy) [February, 1818]
To GENERAL TOLONTUSKY, Chiefs, and Warriors, of the Cherokee nation, of the Arkansaw Country.
My FRIENDS AND CHILDREN: I am very glad to see you. When we are face to face, we can understand the wishes and intentions of each other without any danger of mistake. I have long known your friendship for the White people; and it is my wish to make you and your
nation happy. The country which you gave up is a good country; and it is near and very convenient to us; and I shall in return act generously towards you, and endeavour to make you happy in your new homes, on the Arkansaw. I have not yet obtained the lands lying up that river, to the west of your settlement. I will give instructions to Governor Clark to hold a treaty with the Quapaws this summer in order to purchase them and when purchased, I will direct them to be laid off for you.8 It is my wish that you should have no limits to the west, so that you may have good mill-seats, plenty of game, and not to be surrounded by the white people.
It is better for you and for us that all of the Cherokees should go to the Arkansaw. We should then be kept more apart, and bad people would not have the power to excite quarrels between us. If however any should choose to remain I will treat them with justice.
I know you will not have food for the first year to feed yourselves, and the emigrants who will join you. I will endeavour to supply you with as much corn as you may want, and as the country
abounds in game, you must obtain meat with your rifles. Governor McMinn 7 will be instructed to furnish guns to such as may need them, and to give any aid to those who may choose to
emigrate.
I will not forget my red children, because they are far off. I will still remember you. It is my wish to make you prosperous and happy in your new homes; and if you will at any time make kown to me your wishes, I will attend to them.-
JAMES MONROE.
By Command of the President of the United States of America.
J.C. CALHOUN Secretary of War
[Endorsed] Copy of a Talk delivered by Ja• Monroe, late President of the U States, to Sundry Chiefs of the Cherokee Nation, in February 1818.-
1826, December 16: - The Fredonian Rebellion was a brief and unsuccessful uprising which, nevertheless, had a profound influence on Texas history. The primary mover behind the rebellion was Haden Edwards, the empresario of Nacogdoches from 1825 to 1826, who was in charge of bringing in new settlers to the region. Disputes between Edwards and the established settlers living in the Nacogdoches area began soon after Edwards arrived when he demanded that all settlers produce titles for their lands. Those settlers who could not produce titles risked having to forfeit their land to Edwards. Edwards also involved himself in the election of local officials; an action that left him open to accusations of nepotism. The empresario for southeast Texas, Stephen F. Austin, wrote to Edwards telling him that he simply did not understand the nature of his duties, and furthermore, that continuing on in the same manner would bring about Edwards’ ruin as well as injure any new settlements. Choosing to ignore Austin’s advice, Edwards continued with what the Mexican government saw as a heavy-handed policy, and by the mid-point of 1826, Mexico had revoked Edwards’ empresario contract. A land speculator and businessman, Edwards now saw the establishment of a state independent from Mexico as the only course open to him to salvage at least some of his investment.
On November 22, 1826, the rebellion began with a group of thirty-six men who arrested the local authorities, and took over the Old Stone Fort in Nacogdoches to use as a headquarters. The Old Stone Fort was built in 1779 to serve as a mercantile house, but had served various other purposes since its construction. The quasi-public nature of the building meant that it became a natural spot for the members of the Fredonian Rebellion to meet and strategize. The leaders of the rebellion felt that its success would be much augmented if the local Indians could be persuaded to join the cause. Two Cherokee leaders, Richard Fields and John Dunn Hunter, pledged support for the rebellion in exchange for a promise of land. To symbolize this union, the flag of the rebellion consisted of red and white parallel bars, for the Indians and Anglo-Americans respectively. The flag was inscribed “Independence, Liberty, Justice” and was signed by the rebels who flew it over the Old Stone Fort. On December 21, 1826, the rebels signed their own Declaration of Independence from Mexico. Unfortunately for the rebels, Indian assistance never materialized, and with the militia and Mexican troops closing in, both the cause and the fort were abandoned by the end of January 1827. Most of the rebels fled eastward towards the Sabine River and then into Louisiana. Fields and Hunter were killed by their tribe for involving them in the rebellion.
Though the Fredonian Rebellion had failed, the event alarmed the Mexican government, which decided that something had to be done to prevent such occurrences in the future. General Manuel de Mier y Teran was therefore dispatched to survey the state and to make a detailed report on what he found. Teran found that the state was rapidly becoming “Americanized.” In response, the Mexican government passed the Law of April 6, 1830, which was designed to reverse these trends. Instead, the law greatly angered Anglo colonists, and paved the way for the coming Texas Revolution. The legacy of the short-lived Fredonian Rebellion was that it increased tensions between Anglo settlers and the Mexican government.
The Old Stone Fort was demolished in 1902, but a replica was built using New Deal funds in 1936, and now functions as a museum located on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches.